Glendale man sentenced to 15 years for child porn

PHOENIX -- A Glendale man who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison and lifetime probation, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

Roger James Forney was sentenced Jan. 10, following his plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and dangerous crimes against children. Forney was indicted on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

He is also required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

On Oct. 21, 2012, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office responded to a complaint regarding sketches found in an apartment trash bin. The drawings showed young boys engaging in graphic sexual activity.

The sheriff's office noticed a laptop computer in the trash bin that appeared to be destroyed. Authorities salvaged the hard drive and examined it, discovering hundreds of sexually explicit images involving young boys. They identified Forney as the owner of the laptop.

Two days later, the sheriff's office executed a search warrant at Forney's home and found another computer containing pornographic images.

Forney reportedly told authorities he destroyed the laptop and disposed of the drawings because an FBI warning popped up on his computer. The computer forensic examination determined Forney downloaded malware and the FBI did not send a warning.

The Attorney General's Office said Forney admitted to investigators that he was sexually attracted to boys between the ages of 3 and 12.

"The taking of these pictures was a horrible assault on the boys," Attorney General Tom Horne said in a statement. "We must destroy the demand for those pictures, so it will no longer be profitable or tempting to abuse children in this way."